


De Bellum Titana- Part Two- Sic Semper Titanīs

by Hotspur



Series: Shingeki no Caesar [4]
Category: Classical Greece and Rome History & Literature RPF, Julius Caesar - Shakespeare, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Gen, Shingeki No Caesar, assassination of Julius Caesar, continuation of De Bellum Titana, in which Romans fight titans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-02
Updated: 2015-06-15
Packaged: 2018-02-15 20:26:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2242407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hotspur/pseuds/Hotspur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part 2/3</p><p>The war against the titans rages on but the monsters aren't the only enemy. General Caesar has become more and more popular, which is bad news in the minds of some. If humanity is to win, how far must they go into the heart of a monster?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go, beginning the final part of my huge Shingeki no Caesar story! I hope you all enjoy it. Feel free to drop me a line, it makes my day. Seriously. I'm stuck in these little desks all day at school. Help me. 
> 
> Sorry for that weirdness.
> 
> In this chapter, we pick up exactly where we left off in chapter seven of De Bellum Titana. I need help, I don't know how to decline titan in Latin. Don't tell my teacher. So if anyone can help me with a paradigm, I will worship you.

The speaker was a priest of the wall. These people were the voice of a not-so ancient superstition, one that regarded the walls as the literal work of God. It was amazing how, in the panic of being left to the mercy of mindless monsters, mankind made its own history- the walls were but a century old, and all ready there were people who believed that they were some sacred entity.

"Who's speaking?" General Caesar asked.

"I said, watch out for the fifteenth of March," the priest said, stepping forward. 

Caesar regarded the priest for a moment. He seemed less crazy than the other stone-worshiping nutjobs who usually tried to get in the way of progress. 

"The fifteenth of March, huh?" Caesar said. "You're dreaming." He reined his horse to continue on. He caught the eye of his wife, Calpurnia, who was there celebrating his return. Nothing would ruin his triumph.

-

"Hey, Brutus, you okay?" Cassius walked up to Brutus, who was standing off to one side of the legion, which was now in the square for the celebration of both the Lupercal and Caesar's latest victory opening a supply route to Capua. 

"I'm fine," Brutus said. "I just don't like festivities."

"Got it," Cassius replied. "You've been acting weird lately."

"I've got a lot on my mind," Brutus mumbled. "Sorry if I'm being rude."

There was a huge burst of cheering from the square. 

"What was that?" Cassius asked.

"Probably them giving Caesar some other honor," Brutus said. They noticed Casca, the legion commander in charge of the fortifications of all Palatine, walk up. 

"Hey Casca," Cassius called. "What's going on in Caesar-Land?"

"Antony offered him a crown," Casca said. 

"What!?"

"Antony tried to get Caesar to put on a crown," Casca said. 

"And what did he do?" Brutus asked. 

"He didn't take it," Casca continued. "He refused, and then he started shaking." 

"...Shaking?" Cassius asked.

"Like a sick kid," Casca said. "He fell."

"He has epilepsy," Cassius said. 

"Apparently." Casca turned to go. "See you guys at dinner."

"Why should Caesar be so popular?" Cassius asked after Casca had left. "You're just as good as him."

"What are you getting at?" Brutus asked.

"Listen. We were born as free as General Caesar. It's not the fault of our stars, but our own fault, that we let Caesar rule over us," Cassius snapped. "He stands over us like a titan." 

There was another cheer from the crowd in the square. Caesar must have recovered enough to get back to being worshiped. Brutus's head went cold.

"I better get back," he said. 

"I'll see you later," Cassius said. "Until then, think about the world."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! I manage to finish this damn chapter and post it. I left off sometime around when school started and I've been so busy with school and life that I haven't had time to write big stuff like this. Enjoy. Also, we're getting to parts that are in the play, some of which I will expand on. 
> 
> And hopefully titans.

Brutus owed everything he'd gained in the last year to General Caesar. He'd been given a command position- so had Cassius, but Brutus's was higher- and so was given his own quarters, an office, and decent pay. He'd been able to marry Portia, which made him very happy. 

However, Brutus was worried. He liked Caesar, he liked him a lot; but he could see Caesar was growing immensely powerful. There was nothing he couldn't do- the people loved him. Recently a couple of soldiers on the garrison, Flavius and Murrellus, had ripped down the broadsides praising Caesar. They disappeared that day. Then there was the talk of Caesar going to the capital, and Brutus wasn't sure what to think of that. 

Graffiti had been scribbled on the sides of buildings and on the wall. 

"Brutus, wake up."

"We need you Brutus." 

"Kill the titan."

Brutus found himself spending off duty hours scrubbing the annoying messages off the wall.

"They got you on cleaning duty now?" Cassius asked. He had seen Brutus on one of his cleaning sprees, currently trying to rub out a characiture of himself attacking a figure labeled "Caesar" with titan blades. The portrait had defaced the side of a shop.

"Ha ha," Brutus grumbled. "I'm tired of cleaning this crap off the walls." He looked up at Cassius. "You wouldn't be behind this, would you?"

"Me?" Cassius asked, leaning on the wall. "Never."

Brutus grit his teeth and continued scrubbing. "What do the people want me to do?" He asked. 

"Seems pretty obvious," Cassius replied.

"I am," Brutus muttered. Cassius was acting stranger than usual. He'd initially thought Cassius was jealous of him and mad that he'd been passed up for promotion. But not mad enough to kill over it. 

Cassius walked off, leaving Brutus to his thoughts.

-

Brutus headed back to headquarters in time for dinner. The mess hall rang with conversation and he blocked it out as usual as he took his place next to Portia. Cassius had taken to sitting in a group a ways off, with Casca, one of the Cinnas, and Trebonius. Brutus had a sick feeling that he knew exactly what Cassius was thinking of.

"You okay?" Portia asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. 

"Huh? Yeah. Fine." He replied. He looked down at his plate and immediately his stomach dropped. He wasn't hungry. He glanced down the table at Cassius and the others, who were whispering amongst themselves. He then looked at the other end of the table, where Caesar was talking to his men, oblivious. 

Even though he was sitting next to Portia, Brutus felt very isolated. He stood up abruptly and walked away, heading out the door of the mess hall and into the night. 

-

Portia stared at the empty spot her husband had been occupying. She felt like she'd been slammed on the roof again by that titan. Brutus had been acting moodier than usual and had ignored her. Now she wished that the pain was just the titan hurting her instead of her Brute acting like he didn't care about her any more. No, that sounded selfish. 

She got up from the table and walked out, deciding to just go to bed. She didn't have anything she had to do that night and her mind was beginning to be stretched. What was wrong with Brutus? Cassius being weird she could handle. She wasn't in love with him. Brutus however was the other part of her life, besides fighting titans. Maybe she was just going crazy and Brutus wasn't the one changing. 

They'd found out that she was pregnant a few weeks ago. It was at once both wonderful and horrifying that they were going to bring a new life into a world that was dying, but Portia and Brutus were determined to keep their baby safe. 

Wiping some stray tears from her eyes she opened the door to their quarters. It was nice to finally have their own home, even if it only had three rooms and was filled with supplies for the garrison. She could see a lantern burning in one of the two rooms, which meant Brutus was home and either reading or working on paperwork. A surprising amount of paper went into running an army. Portia crept past, and opened the door to their bedroom and curled up in bed.

Brutus didn't join her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY I GET THIS STUPID THING FINISHED. 
> 
> I've been screwing around with other stories and dealing with life and I've kinda neglected this... SINCE THIS SUMMER.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy. Pretty much all the non-titan plot and dialog will be from Shakespeare's play.

Cassius handed Cinna another bundle of letters. 

"More? What is this, twenty?" Cinna asked. "Who's writing all these?"

"It doesn't matter," Cassius replied. "Just deliver them to Brutus." 

"Do you think Brutus will join us?" Cinna asked. 

"I hope," Cassius said. "Just leave them in his office for him. Now get going!"

Cinna hurried off to deliver the letters before Cassius got mad. 

Cassius looked back at Casca, who had a sour look on his face. It was raining but outside was the only place they could talk without being overheard. "I think it's time we pay Captain Brutus a visit," Casca said.

Cassius agreed.

-

At the moment, Brutus was in the small yard next to the building with his quarters. The rain was beginning to let off and he couldn't sleep. It was cold, but he didn't bother to put his cloak on. Brutus was going insane, to put it simply. His mind was taking him over- he couldn't stop thinking and everything thing came back to one thing- General Caesar. That and, disturbingly enough, Cassius. 

Cassius was his friend, but Brutus knew that he was off his rocker. He hated the titans and anyone who stood in the way of victory. Brutus knew that the government wasn't exactly helping in the war. The people behind Shina lived in luxury while the rest of the world lived in fear, and Caesar certainly was from Shina. He seemed, however, to be one of the few military police to actually fight. Cassius, Casca, and some others said that, given the chance, Caesar would take the throne. He did take a lot of power already, Brutus knew. Two of the city low-level workers, Flavius and Murallus, had gone missing the previous week after they criticized the people's bandwagon love for Caesar.

If they killed Caesar, there would be no more threat to the government. But he was a great commander and his soldiers loved him. Even worse, he thought so highly of Brutus and practically considered him a son. 

"Hey, Captain," said Lucius, one of the younger members of the garrison, walking up to Brutus, who was still standing out in the cold like the pathetic idiot he was. They'd met Lucius in one of the towns they'd passed through that had been decimated by titans. He had no home and his family had been killed, so they welcomed him into the 13th. He served as an aide to Brutus, but he was really more like a son. He was a good kid, except for being a narcolept.

"Hey Lucius," Brutus said. 

"You have more letters," Lucius said, handing Brutus the bundle that Cinna had dropped off. Brutus opened it up and read through a couple. They all said basically the same thing- "Brutus- you're asleep. Wake up and see yourself."

"Who brought these?" Brutus asked.

"I dunno," Lucius said. 

There was a knock at the gate. 

"Who's that?" Brutus asked as Lucius opened the gate. 

"It's Cassius," Lucius said, stepping aside to let Cassius and some others in. They were all wearing army cloaks.

"Good morning, Brutus," Cassius said. "Sorry if we woke you up." 

"I haven't been able to sleep," Brutus replied as Lucius left. 

"I believe you know everyone here," Cassius said, gesturing at the group. "Casca, Cinna, Trebonius, Cimber, Decius."

"Yeah, I know you all," Brutus said.

"Okay, down to business," Cassius said. He took Brutus aside. 

"Are you sure this is what we need to do?" Brutus asked. He looked over at the others, who were arguing about something stupid.

"Absolutely," Cassius hissed. "Caesar is getting in the way of victory against the titans, just like all the other MPs and people from Shina."

"I- I still don't know if it's the right thing," Brutus said. 

"If we don't act now," Cassius said, we're going to hell thanks to him."

"Fine," Brutus said. "I'll join." 

"Excellent," Cassius replied. They walked back to the others, who were still arguing.

"Let's swear to it," said Casca.

"No," Brutus said, "we're not going to swear. What else do we need, other than our own cause?"

"Should we ask Cicero to join us?" Cassius asked. 

"Yeah, let's not leave him out," Casca agreed.

Cinna, Cimber, and the others agreed. They should ask Cicero, the respected legion captain and politician, to join them. Cassius always had such good ideas.

"No," Brutus said, "he's too cautious, and he'll never do something someone else came up with."

"Then we won't have him join," Cassius said.

"Yeah, he's not fit," said Casca. 

Everyone agreed with Brutus.

"Is Caesar the only one going down?" Decius asked. 

"I think we should kill Antony too," Cassius replied. "He loves Caesar so much."

"Our plan will be too bloody, Cass," Brutus said. "This is a sacrifice, not a butchering. We're sacrificing Caesar for the good of humanity. If only we could kill Caesar's spirit, not his body. Anyway, Antony's just one part of Caesar, and can't do anything without him." 

"But he still scares me, with how obsessed he is with Caesar..." Cassius said.

"Don't worry about him," Brutus said.

It was the first of many mistakes Brutus would make.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We now return you to the story already in progress... 
> 
> One of the hardest scenes to write in this story, the thigh scene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yeah, I'm back! Hopefully this story will move on more.

"Brutus?" 

Brutus turned around to face her, but he found he couldn't look her in the eyes. Not that round, sweet face that was so often covered in blood from saving humanity and his own ass. If the plot were discovered, he had no doubt that someone would lash out at her, the most precious thing in his life. Was she really what was most precious to him? More than the safety of humanity and the destruction of the titans? 

How could he think such things.

"Portia," he said, "what are you doing out of bed? You can get sick out here."

"You can too," she replied, flatly. "You left my bed, Brutus. Last night at supper you just got up and paced and you told me to leave you alone. What's going on?"

She was right, last night he told her to leave him alone, something he'd never done. Cassius, yes. Portia, no. 

"You won't talk, you won't eat or sleep," Portia continued, "and if you were to change physically as much as you have mentally... I wouldn't recognize you any more." 

"I- I'm just sick," Brutus replied. 

"Are you really sick?" Portia asked. "If you were sick you'd find a way I get better, not stand out here and get pneumonia." 

Suddenly she dropped to her knees in front of him. She never did anything of the sort, and it scared him. Portia always stood tall. The only time he saw her prostrate was when her leg gave her trouble. 

"Listen, I'm begging you, on my knees," Portia said. "Please, tell me what's wrong! I know I'm a mess, I can barely fight any more, but remember I was a soldier," she said. "My dad was Cato, and you- you married me. By all the times you've told me that you love me, and by the love you promised me when we were married, tell me!" 

"Please, don't kneel, my love," Brutus said, bending down to pull her up and when he did, she leaned into him. 

"I'm your other half, right, your soul mate?" She said. "Is my only job to hang out with you in the mess, talk to you, sleep with you, and fight with you?" Brutus could feel her shaking now. "If that's all, what good am I to you, except some whore you picked up?"

How could she say that? They'd always been together, he'd always loved her, even if he didn't get it or know how to say so. 

"You're my true and honorable wife," he whispered, venturing to kiss her forehead. "I love you as much as my own blood." 

"If it's true then you'd tell me what's wrong! Tell me what's going on, I won't say anything!" Portia's voice was more frantic, she sounded like she was going to explode. "I've already proved how strong I am," she said, yanking up her skirt, revealing the scars and missing flesh of her thigh. "Can't I stand that and not my own husband's secrets?"

Brutus fell to his knees in front of her. "Oh god..." He mumbled, laying his head on her belly and wrapping his arms around her, "Why can't I be worthy of you?" Finally he gathered his breath and courage. "Caesar is going to die," he said, looking up at her. "Casca and Cassius have asked me to help kill him. Caesar will die in the next battle against the titans." 

Portia nodded, silently. She didn't try to argue, tell him not to do it. "I won't say anything," she promised. 

Brutus kissed her over and over, promising her he loved her and that knew what he was doing. He loved Portia more than anything in the world. 

That was not a mistake. His mistake was thinking he knew what he was doing.


	5. Chapter 5

Some blocks away, another wife was woken by worry for her husband. Calpurnia had been married to Caesar for years, although they'd barely seen each other for the past three, now that there was all-out war. Cal, as everyone called her, was a practical, no-nonsense woman who nevertheless was now awake after a nightmare. 

Calpurnia looked over at her husband, asleep next to her. So it wasn't real. In her nightmare Caesar was dead, and she was clutching his bloody, torn MP jacket. She rolled over, trying to block out the image.  
-  
Caesar got up soon, and began getting ready for the expedition. Caesar's main legion, the 9th, was also stationed at Pharsalia and was slated to secure a route from Palatine to Parthia, some 100 titan-infested miles away. Today they would be launching a preliminary journey to test the route's defenses. 

He spent the morning in his office, glancing over maps, strategies, and preparing his equipment. He was just pulling in his straps when Calpurnia burst in. 

"Don't go!" She gasped.

"'Scuse me?" Caesar asked, looking up from the harnesses. 

"Don't go," Calpurnia repeated. "On the scouting mission."

"Why not?" Asked Caesar, a slightly amused smile creeping over his handsome face. 

"I have a bad feeling," she said, walking over to him. "I- I had a bad dream. It's a sign." 

"You had a dream?" Caesar replied. "Now, Cal, I can't believe you'd take something like that seriously. You yourself told me that old priest was a nutcase." 

"Now I believe him," Calpurnia said, wringing her hands. "It seemed so real... You were dead and I was holding your body..." her words became sobs as she tried to explain what she'd seen. There has been soldiers, a lioness had given birth in the street, the sounds of battle, and a rain of blood. 

"Hey," Caesar said, reaching out and gathering her in his arms. "It's going to be okay," he said, stroking her back. "I can't avoid fate." 

"There aren't any signs when commoners die," Calpurnia said. "But there are so many when a prince dies..."

"Cowards die many times before their deaths," Caesar said, seriously. "The valiant never taste of death but once." He shrugged. "Death will come when it comes, no use being afraid of it." 

"Your common sense is covered up by your confidence," Calpurnia mumbled, still in Caesar's arms. Their life had been a mess as of late, but she still loved him. "Have Antony tell them you're not coming! Tell them it's my fear, not yours." She collapsed on the floor, ready to beg.

"Okay," Caesar said, gently. "I'll have Antony tell the other commanders I'm not well, and I'll stay back."

"Thank you," Calpurnia cried, jumping up and hugging him. "Thank you!"  
-  
It was Messala who saw the Titans approaching Palatine. He'd been on a medical run, visiting some of the villages near Palatine and had seen the titans advancing on the town. After galloping back to Palatine he told Casca, Cassius, Decimus, and Brutus the news. 

"We need to tell Caesar," Casca said. 

"Excellent," Cassius said, once Messala was out of earshot. "Our opportunity has arrived!"

Brutus noted the slightly demented glimmer in his friend's eye, the same he got when fighting titans.

They arrived at Caesar's office. Caesar told them to let themselves in.

"Good morning, Brutus! Cassius, Casca, Decius. What's the news?" The general was sitting at his desk, studying some reports. News had come from Shina that a second human titan had been captured, and she had been a member of the Military Police. The world had indeed gone mad.

"Titans are advancing on Palatine," Casca said. "We need you to command us." 

"I won't be coming," Caesar said, not looking up from the dispatch he'd started writing. He was an incredible multitasker.

"What?" Cassius nearly exploded. "We need you."

"I'm sure you can handle it," Caesar replied. He sighed. "My wife is worried," he said. "I'm sure you can appreciate that," he continued, looking at Brutus. 

Brutus hoped Caesar didn't see him gulp. 

"Did she by chance have a bad dream?" Decius asked.

"She did, as a matter of fact," Caesar said. He quickly filled the other commanders in on the gory details. 

"She's got it all wrong," Decius said. "That's not a bad sign at all! The screams, the battle... we're going to win." 

Caesar thought this over.

"Besides, what are we going to say to the squad?" Decius continued. "'General Caesar is afriad?'"

"No," Caesar said, standing up. "You're right, Calpurnia's dream was just that, it's foolish to believe it." 

And so Caesar made his great mistake.


	6. Chapter 6

Caesar assembled his troops. Casca's old 13th, now under Brutus's control, was the one, unbeknownst to Caesar, planning the general's death. The 9th, under Caesar and his deputy Antony, was loyal- especially Antony. Antony was strange because he seemed to genuinely love Caesar, and since Caesar was his best friend, he would do anything for him. 

"Okay, like we agreed," Decius said, "Trebonius, you keep Antony out of the way." 

Trebonius nodded. Up until recently, he'd been a loyal friend of General Caesar. Something had snapped in him in recent months, and he had agreed to help kill his old buddy. 

Brutus and Cassius came up to the group of their fellow conspirators, fitted for battle. Cassius had no one to say goodbye too, and looked disturbingly pleased. To avoid any confusion, he was now wearing the two red roses of the garrison, rather than the blue and white wings of the scout division. 

Caesar had joined as head of the expedition, against all of Calpurnia's begging and pleading. He was determined to not let anything make him a coward, even his wife. He was at the head of the squads on their way to the gate, astride his horse, when he saw the priest of the Wall, and remembered what the old nut had said to him two months earlier.

"The fifteen of March has come!" He shouted down to the priest. 

"Aye," the priest replied. "But it hasn't passed."

-

Before Caesar left for battle, one man tried to prevent the general's fate. One of the townspeople of Pharsalia, Artemidorus, had heard of the conspiracy. He'd written it down, everything he knew-

"Caesar- 

Beware of Brutus, Cassius, and Casca. Watch out for Cinna, Trebonius, and Cimber. Decius doesn't like you, neither does Ligarius. They all have one goal- and it is harm to you. If you aren't really immortal, watch yourself. May the Walls defend you!

-Your friend, Artemidorus"

He ran out into the street, hoping to catch General Caesar before he and his squads left for battle. Artemidorus saw Caesar astride his horse, and took running to catch him. 

-

As Caesar and the troops left for the expedition, someone else was panicking. 

Portia had been pacing back and forth, tearing her hair and trying not to cry. There were two possible outcomes- Brutus would succeed in killing Caesar, or Brutus would be killed himself. Portia wasn't sure what was more terrifying- knowing what was going on or being in ignorance.

"Lucius," she called to the aide that had become like family to her and her husband, "go get on the wall!"

"Uh, sure?" Lucius replied. "Go climb up the wall. Okay. Why?"

 _Keep it secret,_ she thought. _Keep it secret._

"Don't ask, just go up, then tell me what's going on," Portia replied, trying hard to keep her voice level. Anything could have happened, she kept thinking. They might not even get out of the wall, the plan could have been discovered already.

"Okay, so climb up the wall, don't do anything, and come back to you?" Lucius asked.

"Yes! Just do it." Portia's mind was racing, her thoughts crashing together and getting jumbled up before she could say anything. Then she saw the priest of the Wall cult that had told General Caesar he should watch out for the 15th of March. 

"You! Father!" She called. "What time is it?" 

"About nine, ma'am," he said, stopping. 

Portia's head went cold. "Where are you going?" She asked. 

"To the gate," the priest replied. "To see General Caesar before he leaves."

"Why?" She asked, panic continuing to rise. "Do you know if something's going to happen to him?"

"I don't know of anything," the priest replied. "But I'm afraid of a lot."

Portia slouched against the wall, holding her belly. She felt about to faint. "Find Brutus before he leaves!" She shouted after Lucius, who just now had started running. "Tell him I'm fine!" 

-

"Caesar!" Artemidorus shouted, running up to the column of horses, panting to keep up with the General. "Caesar, read this! Please! It's important!" 

Caesar had been talking to Decius and Trebonius.

"Caesar, Trebonius has something to say to you!" Decius said.

"Read mine first!" Artemidorus cried. "It has to do with you!"

Caesar looked down at Artemidorus. "I'll deal with what is important to only me later," he said. 

Artemidorus realized Caesar would never hear him out.


	7. Chapter 7

Brutus had a sick feeling in his stomach. Killing titans was one thing, killing humans quite another. If Cassius were telling the truth, then Caesar truly was in the way of victory. But Cassius said a lot of things, and even though they'd been friends for years, Brutus was beginning to believe that his old comrade was changing, twisted by the war and blinded by his hatred of Caesar and all other nobles. Maybe Brutus was being blinded by his own friendship with the General.

The garrison dragged cannons into place, checked 3D-gear, and awaited orders from General Caesar. The plan Caesar outlined was that they would meet the titans on their own field, and try to stop them from reaching Palatine. In other words, they were going out of the walls into the wood. 

The preparations were a blur in Brutus's mind as he fought the sick feeling in his stomach. Part of him didn't want the moment to come, the other just wanted it over with. He and Cassius rode together, hanging back from the others. Caesar was up ahead, riding with Antony and some of his other friends. 

"Don't worry," Cassius said. "Portia and the others will be okay, the titans can't get into Palatine." He'd apparently seen the worried look on Brutus's face.

"I know," Brutus replied. 

"You're not scared, are you?" Cassius asked, obviously referring to the conspiracy.

"No," Brutus replied, gripping the reins tighter. "We wait for the signal. Casca will give the flare when it's time." 

Cassius nodded. Casca had agreed to send the message meaning emergency, a purple flare, to alert the conspirators to attack Caesar. They'd decided on knives, because blades would make too quick work of him. Brutus was right, this wasn't to be a quick, brutal killing with no thought or reason. Besides, knives allowed all of the conspirators to strike and fulfill their part of the agreement.

Cassius got the feeling that somehow Brutus, who wasn't all that bright, thought way too much. 

Cassius was snapped back into reality when a signal flare went up, green, which meant to the garrison that the mission had begun, and to the scouts to change formation. Caesar's scout legion had gone deep in the forest, drawing the titans away from the open fields. 

"Okay, 13th, break with me," Cassius called, making sure Pindarus, Strato, Luciulius, Dardanius, and the others were behind. Even though the conspirators were going to bring Caesar down, they still had to fight the titans and wait for the best opportunity. 

Brutus rode alongside Cassius, trying to hold down his fear. He'd never fought titans in the woods, and the only forest experience he'd had was back when he was a trainee, which had been years ago. 

"Be ready to launch at my signal!" Cassius yelled to his squad. 

Not too far ahead, a red signal flare shot up, warning of a titan. 

"Now!" 

The soldiers launched from their horses, switching to 3D maneuvering. The titan approaching them was a small one, with a grotesquely out-of-proportion head. Pindarus and Strato made short work of it, and it fell. The two of them had learned a lot since their first fight with the titans in Ostia, when they'd both been so inexperienced that they had hidden from the monsters. Now they reacted out of instinct when confronted with titans, and that instinct was to kill rather than run. 

"Five-meter ahead!" Dardanius shouted. Cassius and Brutus both launched at it, Cassius going for the Achilles' Tendons and Brutus for the neck. After months of stagnation, it was perversely cathartic to be back in gear to kill titans. Now Brutus and Cassius brought down their 22nd kill. 

Brutus's mind was racing. He'd never fought outside of a city before- and Ostia had been his first fight. Something about being in the forest was scary. He was in the titans' territory, on their own terms. 

They managed to regroup with the rest of Caesar's squad, right before a 7-meter burst through the woods, followed by two smaller titans. 

"13th, break into pairs," Caesar shouted. "Brutus, with me. Antony, you and Trebonius take the ugly little one." 

Brutus reacted, swinging up to follow Caesar. This is what he was best at, following orders. They both went at the 7-meter, slicing at flesh and one of them cut deep enough to sever the spinal column, the only way to truly bring it down. It fell, just as Antony and Trebonius took down theirs and Strato and Cassius got the other. "Good work," Caesar said, landing on a branch. 

"Thanks," Brutus said, wiping the titan blood from his eyes. 

The all-clear was signaled. The titans had abandoned their attempt at getting into Palatine, hindered by the lack of divergents. The squads regrouped. They'd lost only one man, Ptolomy. Julia split off from her father's squad to take reinforcement to Palatine. Caesar led the 9th and 13th back to Pharsalia. They returned to Pharsalia victorious- and it was time to bring down one last titan. 

Caesar sent some of his men to help man the cannons. The 13th followed Caesar in landing on the wall. 

"Hey General, about my brother," said Cimber, approaching Caesar, boots clacking on the wall. "Can you let him come back?" Cimber's brother had been banished from one of the cities inside Shina. 

"No," Caesar said. "I said he is banished, and he stays banished." 

"Come on, General, Publius is a good soldier," said Cassius."

"Caesar, we beg you," said Casca.

"Please, General, let Publius Cimber back into Shina!" Brutus begged. 

"I remain constant!"

Everything was going fine, and the conspirators were about to use this window to do the job, when Casca, supposed to give the signal for attack, fumbled with the signal and instead of firing purple, fired a black flare. 

"Casca, what are you doing?" Caesar snapped.

Before Caesar could do anything else, Casca stabbed him with his knife. The other conspirators fell on Caesar, stabbing and slashing at the general. He was tangled up in his 3D gear and couldn't get away. The conspirators became tangled up in each other too, stabbing at each other by accident, Brutus, terrified, stood aside, unable to force his brain into motion. Caesar had been so good to him, he was a great leader and had singlehandedly defended whole cities with just a squad. 

But he had to die.

Then, Brutus lunged at Caesar. He drove his knife into his chest, adding a twenty-third wound. 

Caesar looked like his heart was broken more than his body. "And you, Brutus?" He choked.

Brutus couldn't bear it any longer. He pulled out a blade from his gear and slashed the cords holding the general to the battlement and Caesar fell.


End file.
